Wrench.



4 PATENTED 00T. so, 1906.

J.. MAGLBAN.

r WRENCH. l APPLICATION FILED APB.25.1906.

WITNEEEEEI-I: l

. UNITED sTATEs PATENT oinrroE.-

JAMES MAOLEAN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNlTED j STATES SPECIALTY COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORf PORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

WRENCH-1.`

f No. 834,312.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 30. 1906.v

Application filed April 25.1906. Serial 110.313,705.

citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wrenches, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement to be applied to wrenches whereby the 'adf justment ofthe jaws can be easily and quickly made; and it consists of a sliding cam-piece which serves to force and hold the shank of the outer jaw. against the shank of the inner jaw, and as a portion of the shank of the inner jaw is provided with a segment of gear-teeth and the shank of the outer jaw with rack-teeth adapted to engage with the said segment -teeth the two jaws may be readily adjusted and held in any desired posil tion in relation to each other.

I attain the desired result by theimechanisms shown in the accompanying drawings,

- in which- Figure 1 is a side view of one of my wrenches. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section showing the jaws locked together by the engagement of the teeth of the rack and segi to adapt the wrench to the size of the object to which it is to be applied.

In the drawings the body-shank is represented by S. At one end of the shank S a handle H is attached, as shown in Fig. 1. The other end of this shank has the inner jaw J formed on it and also has a segment-gear G, which may be made integral with the shank and jaw or may be formed on a detachable piece which may be attached by a rivet, s shown in Figs. 2 and 3, or in any suitable manner.

E is a spring which serves to force the vshank vA of the outer jaw away from the shank S of the inner jaw and from the segment-gear G.

The outer jaw B has ashank A which has a'rack D, the teeth of which engage with the teeth on the segment-gear G. A casing of sheet metal C C C2 is formed as shown in the drawings and is firmly secured to the shank S by rivets V V, Fig. 1, and has a block of metal R R, also fastened by rivets. The

block R R has a central longitudinal opening K, through which a rod L passes. The forward end of the rod Kis bent and formed into a wedge or cam P. The other end of this rod L has attached to it a thumb-piece N, .which also has a cam'or wedge N. A spring T serves to force the cams P and N back, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the cam P will, acting against the shank A of the jaw B, force it down and hold the rack-teeth D in engagement with the teeth of the segmentgear G, and thus hold the jaw inany desired position. in which it may be placed by the user.

When the user wishes to move the jaw B forth or back, he places his thumb on the piece N and forces it forward against the spring T. This action forces the cam P forward and away from the block K. At the same time the cam N is forced under the block K, as shown in Fig. 3. This action allows the forward end of the shank A to free its teeth D from the teeth of the segment G and admits of the' free forth-and-back movement of the jaw B. As soon as the user frees the thumb-piece N the rod L, having the cam- Wed ges P and N is thrown back by the action of the spring T into the position shown in Fig. 2, and thus allows the rack-teeth to engage with the segment-teeth and thus securely hold the jaw B in the desired position.

It will be observed from inspection of Figs. 2 and 3 that when a strain is exerted upon the article that is between the jaws thejaw B will swing, as indicated by the arrow V, and that in my wrench this action isl possible for the reason that the rack-teeth D of the shank A roll on the teeth of the segment G. Thus I get a gripping action that is very effective.

claim- Y A wrench comprising an inner jaw affixed to a shank that forms a party of the handle: a segment-gear attached to said shank: an outside jaw attached to a movable shank, the movable shank having rack-teeth construotedto engage With the teeth of the said i name to this speoioation, in the presence of segment-gear: and. a. spring-operated 0aml two subscribing Witnesses7 on this 24th day pieoe,oonstruoted to be adjusted to look the of April, A. D. 1906. outside jaw in any 'desired position or to JAMES MACLEAN. 5 leave the jaw free to be moved: substan- Witnesses:

tialiy as and for the purpose set forth. FRANK G. PARKER, In testimony whereof I 'have signed my WILLIAM EDsoN. 

